Adult Chapel class kicks off this year with a series in September on Progressive Biblical Interpretation 101. This series, led by Rev. Ofner-Seals, is for anyone who may want the tools to interpret scripture through a move progressive lens. Chapel class meets in the Chapel every Sunday at 9:00 am. The series will run until Sunday, September 29 and will be available in person and on Zoom. The password for Zoom is 461025.

Merry Christmas! Wait! It’s only early fall, but orders need to be placed for wreaths now. St. Joe Tree Farm is graciously working with Standish Circle to keep the tradition of selling wreaths for you to order and receive in time for the Christmas holidays. The profits are used to assist those in need in our community. Wreath pickup will be at Plymouth on Sunday, November 24 at the porte-cochere entrance before and after church. 

Orders and payment must be received no later than Sunday, September 29. To complete an order form, either click the button below to print off the form and return it to the Plymouth office or pick up an order form at the front office on Sunday mornings. Checks should be made payable to Plymouth Church and include a notation stating "Standish Wreaths" on the memo line. If mailing an order form, please make sure it is in by Wednesday, September 25.

Our Centering Prayer Group will resume this coming Monday, September 30, at 5:30 pm in the Plymouth Chapel. All are welcome to attend, regardless of your level of knowledge or experience. If you've ever been curious about Centering Prayer, which is a form of Christian silent meditation, now is the perfect time to come check it out! We are a small but friendly group and are always open to newcomers. We meet every Monday, so feel free to drop in as often or as sporadically as you like!

Friendly reminder that E&M will host Tapping Into Faith at Mad Anthony Brewing Co. on Monday, September 230 at 7:00 pm. It’s a wonderful chance to get to know fellow Plymouth folks a little better and sometimes welcome folks from the community into fellowship. Loosely guided conversation and story-sharing, good food & drink, and good people – what more could you want?!

We will provide appetizers for all to share, and you are welcome to buy whatever meal or beverage you’d like. Come on over!

Wednesday Night Live programming continues on Wednesday, October 2. At 5:00 pm there will be adult choir rehearsal. At 5:15 pm there will be our Eat, Pray, Play program, and Bible Study with Rev. Timothy, followed by dinner at 6:00 pm. Handbells will meet at 6:30 pm. All activities are open to anyone in the church, regardless of membership status. Come for activities, or just come for dinner and fellowship! The suggested cost for dinner is $10 per person, though no one will be turned away due to inability to pay. If you plan to come for dinner, please sign up in the Folsom Room in advance so our caterer knows how much food to prepare. Hope to see you there!

Click the button below to join Rev. Timothy's Bible Study via Zoom. The passcode to join is 773232.

Our new intergenerational WNL programming experiment concludes its initial run this Wednesday, October 2 from 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm. The program has been focusing on Christian faith practices. We explore this theme through storytelling, scripture, free play, and prayer, with activities that all ages can participate in, followed by a dinner. Families and individuals are welcome to come to this final session, whether they have come to all of the previous ones or this will be their first! On October 9, Eat, Pray, Play will be replaced by Children’s Choir, which will meet from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm upstairs.

Indiana Center for Middle East Peace and Plymouth Church welcome Archbishop Elias Chacour on Thursday, October 10, at 6:30 pm.

Our dear friend Abuna (“Father”) Chacour returns to ICMEP (a frequent guest) and Plymouth Church (he was Plymouth’s Parry lecturer 20 years ago). He is retired Melkite Archbishop of the Galilee, founder of Mar Elias Educational Institutions (K-12), author of the acclaimed Blood Brothers (available in Plymouth’s library), and three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Free and open to the public.

This Tuesday, October 1 is the last day to sign-up for being a part of this year’s Advent devotional team. We could still use a few more writers to complete the process. For more information just check the latest issue of The Bell or request information by contacting us at Plymouth.advent@gmail.com.

We would like to introduce you to our new Office Manager, Tony Ray. Tony is pleased to begin working here and looks forward to meeting Plymouth members as he gets underway. You can find Tony in the Office Manager’s office upstairs on weekdays. His email is tdr@plymouthfw.org and his phone extension is 313.

The League of Women Voters of Fort Wayne (LWVFW) has published local candidate information to the national League’s Vote411.org website. The site is a nonpartisan “one-stop shop” election resource that provides area voters with simple, accessible tools to help them navigate the voting process. People can visit the website to see candidate responses pertaining to local issues. It is also possible to confirm your registration using the site. All voters are encouraged to confirm their voter registration prior to the registration deadline for the upcoming election, October 7, 2024. Early voting begins on October 8. Vote411.org provides information on voting absentee by mail and early voting options.

BIPOCA Incubator and Gallery would like to thank the Plymouth Church Anti-Racism Action Team, Pastor Murphy and its members for honoring the work of a local artist of color through the “Celebrating Diversity through Art Exhibit.” Thank you for your commitment to embrace and celebrate diversity by engaging in community. If there were any pieces from the exhibition that might have piqued someone’s interest, please feel free to reach out to BIPOCA. We can be reached through email at bipocagallery@gmail.com or via phone at (260)348-0267. We look forward to continued community collaborations with Plymouth Church.

The DVDs and CDs thank you for finding new homes for them! We appreciate your help.

We are missing a couple of books that no one actually signed out as part of our borrowing process. Look on your stack of books on your nightstand or next to your favorite reading chair and see if any of the following may be hiding there:

• 2 copies of “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Jason Reynolds
• 2 copies of “Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns” by Archie Bongiovanni

If you have borrowed any of these books, please return them as others are waiting to check them out. Thanks so much!

One of the ways Plymouth honors its partnership with Fairview Elementary is through occasional supply drives. Requested items are not usually included in the district budget, but enhance the daily education, health, and safety of students. Donations will be accepted through September 30 and may be placed in the labeled bin in the Folsom Room. Please direct any questions to Vicky Pogue at vlpogue@gmail.com. 

Items needed:

• EXPO dry erase markers
• Kleenex
• Girls medium socks
• Boy/Girl underwear: sizes 4, 6, 8, 10
• Scissors (any student size)
• Boys and Girls Shorts/Joggers/Sweatpants: sizes 4/5, 6, 7/8, 10
• Disinfectant Wipes
• Paper Towels
• Headphones (not the earbuds, but the ones that go over the top of their head)

The Benevolence committee is in the early stages of preparing for the 2025 Benevolence Grant cycle. If you are aware of an agency or organization that does good work in the community or surrounding area, aligns well with Plymouth Church's four identifying covenants, and may be in need of additional funds for projects and programs, let the Benevolence committee know. Committee members Jim Lasley, Allen Haynes, Wayne Peterson-Stephan, Mark Friskney, Beth Walker, Susan Bolinger, and Cher Jackson would be happy to talk with you regarding eligibility and the grant process!

The office is once again looking for a few brave souls to help us with the mountain of bulk mailing that we will need to accomplish this year for the stewardship campaign. Our second mailing will go out on Tuesday, October 22. Shifts are broken down into two-hour increments from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Sign up to volunteer by clicking the button below.

Next month, the Allen County Commissioners will be taking up the issue of regulations regarding solar on privately owned land in Allen County. It is important for them to hear from constituents that support solar projects, and so Plymouth member John Hoffman has drafted a letter for others to sign, indicating their support for common sense regulations "that protect a landowner's right to choose to use their land for solar in our county." Copies of the letter are available in the Folsom Room to sign. You may choose to mail it yourself or leave it at Plymouth and we will deliver them for you. Copies of the letter will be available to sign through the month of September. 

Volunteers for the 12th year of Study Connection at Plymouth Church are needed! You can be a tutor or a substitute to fill in on the few days when a tutor must be away. Contact Lucy Hess for more information on what is expected of a tutor and sub at lrh22@frontier.com or (260) 484-4430. Study Connection is offered at Plymouth every Wednesday from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm starting early October to mid-May.

To apply, click the button below to complete the volunteer sign up form. All volunteers must have a background check which is done by the FWCS. Everyone is welcome to be a special friend to an elementary age child. Providing support and encouragement is the main task for each tutor and sub. Being a tutor is a great way to make a difference in a child’s life.

Do you have some time available on Tuesdays and are looking for something to do? Would you like to aid your favorite Plymouth Receptionist in making sure that everyone is greeted with a kind and smiling face? Do we have the opportunity for you! Plymouth staff are looking for volunteers to cover for the receptionist during the staff meetings every Tuesday from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. It’s a quiet time for the church, the most you may have to do is answer a phone or two, maybe complete a small project. 

To sign up as a volunteer, speak with Jake in the office or click the button below.

Masks are optional in worship and church programming. If you are feeling under the weather or prefer to wear a mask around others, it is an ongoing option. A high-quality mask provides good protection against infection even if others around you are not wearing one. We will continue to offer livestreamed and recorded worship services for anyone unable to attend services in person.

The following links can be found on our Linktree:

• Plymouth Directory Login
• Study Connection Volunteer Sign Up
• Chancel Flower Dedication Sign Up Form
• Donate
• Past Chapel Class Series
• Plymouth Google Calendar
• Plymouth's Social Media